UPDATE: Strike: Government has yet to respond to our demands - ASUU
After eight months on strike, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said the government had still not met its demands in a "satisfactory" manner.
Following a meeting of the union's National Executive Council (NEC) on Thursday evening, the ASUU announced the suspension of the strike that began on February 14 in a statement by its president, Emmanuel Osodeke, professor of science of the ground, Friday.
In the statement, the ASUU said the suspension of the strike was in line with the decision of the appeals court and in compliance with President Muhammadu Buhari's call for the suspension of the strike.
>"As a law-abiding trade union and out of respect for the calls of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and other well-meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC has decided to suspend strike action initiated on 14th February 2022,” the Prof said.
"Accordingly, all ASUU members are hereby requested to resume all services heretofore withdrawn effective 12:01 a.m. on Friday, October 14, 2022."
Unmet demandsThe university union, however, noted that the government has not yet "satisfactorily" resolved the issues that led to the dispute.
Issues, according to ASUU, include releasing public university revitalization funds, winning academic stipends for its members, halting the proliferation of public universities, publishing white papers from reports of presidential visit panels to universities and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a payment platform for university staff.
READ ALSO:The union said: "While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who have looked into the matter, NEC has noted with regret that the issues in dispute have not not yet been satisfactorily resolved."
In September, Minister of Labor and Employment Chris Ngige took the dispute with ASUU to the National Labor Court.
In court, the government sought an injunction to order ASUU to suspend the strike while the court hears the substantive case.
The ASUU then said, "The National Labor Court, in its wisdom, has issued an order requiring the ASUU to return to work pending the decision on the merits of the action.
“Given the nature of the order, and the opinion of our lawyers, it was necessary to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our union before the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal upheld the union's grounds of appeal, but still upheld the lower court's order and ordered our union to comply with the lower court's decision as a condition precedent to the hearing of the appeal. » Progress
ASUU added that the series of meetings with House of Representatives leaders led by President Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as the advocacy efforts of other Nigerians both inside and outside the government , have made progress.
The leadership of the House of Representatives facilitated meetings between ASUU and relevant government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
During the meetings, the government agreed to modify the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) with UTAS functionality to accommodate the particularities of the university and its staff.
The government has also included, in the 2023 draft budget, N170 billion for the revitalization of tertiary institutions and N300 billion for salaries. It is not clear, however, whether these budget provisions meet teachers' demands.
On the "No work, no pay" position announced earlier by the government, Mr. Gbajabiamila called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make concessions, PREMIUM TIMES has learned.
A source within ASUU NEC previously told PREMIUM TIMES that the union is awaiting Mr Buhari's decision on the payment of teachers' salaries during the strike period. Mr. Buhari has yet to make a statement.
Qosim Suleiman is a journalist at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which connects local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to cover under-reported issues around the world
After eight months on strike, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said the government had still not met its demands in a "satisfactory" manner.
Following a meeting of the union's National Executive Council (NEC) on Thursday evening, the ASUU announced the suspension of the strike that began on February 14 in a statement by its president, Emmanuel Osodeke, professor of science of the ground, Friday.
In the statement, the ASUU said the suspension of the strike was in line with the decision of the appeals court and in compliance with President Muhammadu Buhari's call for the suspension of the strike.
>"As a law-abiding trade union and out of respect for the calls of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and other well-meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC has decided to suspend strike action initiated on 14th February 2022,” the Prof said.
"Accordingly, all ASUU members are hereby requested to resume all services heretofore withdrawn effective 12:01 a.m. on Friday, October 14, 2022."
Unmet demandsThe university union, however, noted that the government has not yet "satisfactorily" resolved the issues that led to the dispute.
Issues, according to ASUU, include releasing public university revitalization funds, winning academic stipends for its members, halting the proliferation of public universities, publishing white papers from reports of presidential visit panels to universities and the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a payment platform for university staff.
READ ALSO:The union said: "While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who have looked into the matter, NEC has noted with regret that the issues in dispute have not not yet been satisfactorily resolved."
In September, Minister of Labor and Employment Chris Ngige took the dispute with ASUU to the National Labor Court.
In court, the government sought an injunction to order ASUU to suspend the strike while the court hears the substantive case.
The ASUU then said, "The National Labor Court, in its wisdom, has issued an order requiring the ASUU to return to work pending the decision on the merits of the action.
“Given the nature of the order, and the opinion of our lawyers, it was necessary to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our union before the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal upheld the union's grounds of appeal, but still upheld the lower court's order and ordered our union to comply with the lower court's decision as a condition precedent to the hearing of the appeal. » Progress
ASUU added that the series of meetings with House of Representatives leaders led by President Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as the advocacy efforts of other Nigerians both inside and outside the government , have made progress.
The leadership of the House of Representatives facilitated meetings between ASUU and relevant government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
During the meetings, the government agreed to modify the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) with UTAS functionality to accommodate the particularities of the university and its staff.
The government has also included, in the 2023 draft budget, N170 billion for the revitalization of tertiary institutions and N300 billion for salaries. It is not clear, however, whether these budget provisions meet teachers' demands.
On the "No work, no pay" position announced earlier by the government, Mr. Gbajabiamila called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make concessions, PREMIUM TIMES has learned.
A source within ASUU NEC previously told PREMIUM TIMES that the union is awaiting Mr Buhari's decision on the payment of teachers' salaries during the strike period. Mr. Buhari has yet to make a statement.
Qosim Suleiman is a journalist at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which connects local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to cover under-reported issues around the world
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